by Natalie DiBlasio and Haya El Nasser, USA TODAY

by Natalie DiBlasio and Haya El Nasser, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON -- Hundreds of thousands of people roared their approval Monday as President Obama, Vice President Biden and their wives took the historic trip from the U.S. Capitol to the White House, trailed by a parade featuring more than 8,800 people ranging from band musicians to kids on unicycles.

The Obamas at times climbed from their car to walk down the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue, waving to the crowds that screamed their names.

Joe and Jill Biden also spent some time on the street. "He is the most handsome man I have ever seen in my life, and there he is!" screamed Cheryl Smith, 49, of Woodbridge, Va., bursting into tears. "I love Joe. I can die now."

The Inaugural Parade is following the Obamas and Bidens along Pennsylvania Avenue until they reach the reviewing stands at Lafayette Park, across from the White House.

The park, site of countless protests and demonstrations over the years because of its attention-getting location, had not a trace of anger or dissatisfaction Monday.

Lisa Burton, 57, is enjoying the festive mood. She says she has lived in Washington, D.C., since she was 9 but has never attended an inauguration before. When a friend with a ticket to the parade couldn't attend, she decided to go.

"It's one of the things I needed to do once in a lifetime," she says. "It just seemed like a great opportunity."

That's a sentiment shared by the parade participants.

"We have been in a lot of parades, but nothing like this," says Jon Cahill, director of the Gym Dandies Children's Circus that came from Scarborough, Maine, on Sunday morning to participate in the parade. "It's like the Olympics of parades."

The circus performance includes kids as young as 9 and no older than high school seniors. A highlight: 41 kids riding 6-foot unicycles.

There have been hitches. Two women and a man pushing his mother in a wheelchair were among many disappointed ticketholders for the parade who arrived at a designated security entrance just minutes after it was ordered closed.

"We've been walking to get here for about a half-hour,'' said Miesha Gary, 38, of Baltimore. "It's ridiculous.''

Gary, accompanied by Michelle Taylor, 38, of Houston, said they paid $100 per ticket only to find themselves on the other side of an iron fence just more than a block from the White House.

"It's very disappointing,'' Taylor said, straining to see beyond the barricade. "It's probably too late to get somewhere to watch it.''

But for most people in the crowd, the day was bringing pure joy. Katelyn Wlach, 22, from Raleigh, says she was enjoying her first inauguration. She was extremely excited about seeing the president in the parade. Her favorite part of the day? "Everything!"

Hargrove Inc. built the floats for its 17th-straight presidential Inaugural Parade. The company started preparing before the election and expended 3,000 man-hours. Work continued until the last minute, says Lana Ostrander, director of marketing and public relations for Hargrove.

Floats include The Hawaii State Float, featuring a large volcano, to honor Obama's birthplace, and an Illinois State float, a nod to Michelle Obama's home state. There also will be Pennsylvania (Biden's birthplace) and Delaware (Jill Biden's birthplace and the Bidens' home) state floats.

Martin Luther King Day is being honored with The Martin Luther King Jr. Float, The Civil Rights Movements Float and The Tuskegee Airmen Float (in tribute to the first African-American military aviators). The Inaugural "Our People, Our Future" Float is scheduled to be the last float in the parade.

Veteran announcer Charles Brotman is presenting participants for the Obamas and Bidens as they reach the reviewing stands at Lafayette Park. It's Brotman's 15th time â?? having worked every inauguration since Truman's. He told CBS that his favorite was Ronald Reagan's in 1981 because of all the Hollywood celebrities it brought.

"The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band has an even longer history than does Brotman. It has been performing at inaugurations since Thomas Jefferson's in 1801.

"We are very, very excited to be here and be doing this," says drum major Master Gunnery Sgt. William Browne. "Every inaugural is unique even though the ceremonies are all the same. It is such an honor and we are thrilled to death about it."

The Marine Band may have marched in scores of Inaugural Parades, but for many in the 99-piece band it's their first time.

"They are nervous, they are excited," Browne says. "They don't want to be the one out of alignment or the one whose horn freezes."

Many participants admitted to some jitters.

"I'm most nervous about appearing on national television," says drum major Jeremy Black, with the 150-piece Georgia State University Marching Band. "I've performed in front of over 60,000 people live before, but that pales in comparison to knowing I could possibly be seen by millions of viewers all across America."